Al Roker Visits Family Farm On “Today Show”

Working from home, I usually have the TV on during the day[3], so I can keep up on the news and look for future blog topics. I’m pretty loyal to NBC’s "Today Show," featuring Al Roker, Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Natalie Morales, Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a broadcast journalist, so it was pretty cool to see these national TV[5] anchors up close and in person. Like the cheesy tourists that we were, my mom and I grinned and waved to the TV cameras[6] and called our family back home to watch for us on the news.

It seems I have a new reason to like the “Today Show.” The station has created a new segment called, “Wake Up With Al,” where Roker travels the country and learns about the different lives of “Today Show” viewers.

His first stop was to College Grove, TN, to a dairy farm[7], where he helped feed cattle, give milk to bottle calves and drive the tractor. Although it got a little hokey at times, the segment was a warm invitation from the Hatcher family into their farm yard. They taught Roker how to bottle feed a calf, invited him in for a home-cooked meal, and even had him shear a sheep or two. Overall, this was a positive exposure of who livestock producers are, and millions of viewers tuned in to see it. Watch the segment below and let me know what you think about it.

If Roker and the “Today Show” were to come knocking on your door, what farm adventures or ranch[8] chores would you want to show on national television? What are some of your favorite parts of the day on the ranch? Share your best stories in the comments section below.